Urban and rural roadways in Idaho could see speed limit increase

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LEWISTON, ID - Drivers could soon save some time on Idaho roadways, that is if lawmakers approve legislation to raise speed limits.

This bill would increase legal speeds from 75 to 80 miles-per-hour on the Interstate, and from 65 to 70 miles-per-hour on State Highways. But it would be up to the Idaho Transportation Department as to which roads see the increase.

ITD Traffic Engineer, Jared Hopkins said if passed the department will look at several factors before raising the speed on district two's highways.

"We'd do a speed study which looks at how fast people are already traveling, then we would look at things like the five-year accident data," said Hopkins. "We'd look at roadside development, urban and rural."

Hopkins said the top of the Lewiston Hill would be a candidate for an increased speed limit. The highest speed limits in the country are in Texas, with 85 mile-per-hour limits on Interstates.